QuickBooks Desktop 2020 Discontinued, Upgrade by May 31, 2023
QuickBooks Desktop 2020 Discontinued May 31st – Plan for your Upgrade
QuickBooks Desktop 2020 discontinued. Users, who are running their business with this QuickBooks Desktop version, will need to either purchase a QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Plus subscription or migrate to QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop 2020 software will be discontinued on May 31st, 2023.
As you review your software, my hope is to offer you some guidance throughout this journey. I’ll take a look at:
- How your business could be affected & which Intuit QuickBooks Services will be discontinued
- QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Plus Subscription
- Migrating to QuickBooks Online
- Tips for planning your QuickBooks Desktop upgrade or QuickBooks Online migration
- QuickBooks Desktop 2023 & QuickBooks Online purchase options
How your business is affected & the services that will be discontinued
After May 31st, access to and use of add-on services like QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Payroll, Online Banking/Bank Feeds, ACH Processing, QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy File Transfer, Multi-currency, and QuickBooks Time will be discontinued for QuickBooks Desktop version 2020. The QuickBooks product list that will be affected includes:
- QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2020
- QuickBooks Desktop Premier 2020
- QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions v20
- QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2020
- QuickBooks Enterprise Accountant v20
- QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2020
Also, I would like to note that you won’t receive any critical security updates starting June 1, 2023 for QuickBooks Desktop 2020. I encourage you to check your current Release number and ensure that the latest security updates are installed before this date.
If you do not use add-on services, QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier should still be usable but you will not be able to receive support from Intuit technical support. Read more about QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation and service policy.
Just to note, any service associated with an Intuit server, including license verification, may not be functional for the QuickBooks 2020 Desktop products. In recent months, we have seen instances where you may not be able to register products, retrieve license info, product, and/or validation codes after the sunset and Intuit does not guarantee it.
Login to your Intuit CAMPS account and verify your account information. This is your Customer Account Management Portal where you can manage all your account maintenance related information for QuickBooks from a single dashboard. A few of the activities you can perform are:
- Manage subscriptions
- Update payment method
- Download purchased product and more
Along with the Primary Account, I would take proactive steps to ensure you have all your software information noted including the email address that is tied to your product and visit the download page for QuickBooks products to get a copy of the installer for your particular product.
QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Subscription
The QuickBooks Premier Plus subscription includes unlimited customer support from QuickBooks; access to the latest features, security patches, and updates; automatic backup and recovery; and the NEW – QuickBooks Desktop mobile app-based receipt management.
Don’t worry if you are using QuickBooks Desktop Pro/Premier 2021 outright, Intuit will continue to support this version until May of 2024.
Learn more about QuickBooks Premier Plus and QuickBooks Enterprise.
Migrating to QuickBooks Online
Is it time to move to the cloud and migrate your QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online? QuickBooks Online gives your growing business access to cloud-based accounting software that tracks and organizes your financial information for you. Plus, retail businesses can attach Lightspeed POS or Shopify POS so that all your numbers are in one place.
Automate tasks like bookkeeping, invoicing, time tracking, budgeting, and more. QuickBooks Online allows multiple users to work simultaneously and seamlessly, tracking changes via an activity log. And with industry recognized security, all of your financial data remains protected.
See how moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online saves this Cape Cod adventure business time, money, and effort. Speaks about advantages migrating to QBO.
Resources for QuickBooks Desktop Migration to QuickBooks Online:
Why migrate to the cloud with QuickBooks Online?
Your time is valuable. Spend it on what matters. QuickBooks Online gives you the tools to automate and streamline your accounting so you can focus on growing your business.
QuickBooks Online empowers you to make better decisions, get paid faster and streamline your workflow.
QuickBooks Online suits your needs from the start and scales harmoniously with your business. Best of all, you’ll have access to an ecosystem of 3rd party apps and solution providers that can help you customize your instance to meet your unique Retail POS needs.
Buy QuickBooks Online or schedule a call today to discuss cloud accounting and retail point of sale solutions and for business.
Tips for planning your upgrade
If you are utilizing QuickBooks Desktop 2020 and need to upgrade, I encourage you to complete what I call a “software health check-up”. Just like you take your car in for maintenance, plan to review your business software systems and infrastructure. Here are some helpful tips to get you started on your software health check:
- Do your homework, review options, QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Plus vs QuickBooks Online
- Assess your infrastructure
- Meet with your team & gain feedback
- Consult with us
- Decide on your path
- Put the plan into motion
Do your homework, review your QuickBooks software options
Did you say homework? Yes, I said homework! With QuickBooks Online taking the stage for small and midmarket business accounting needs along with subscription pricing for QuickBooks Desktop, this is a great time to think about moving to the cloud. Keep in mind, QuickBooks Online may not be a good fit for everyone but with access to the cloud anytime, anywhere, you may want to pursue the idea.
QuickBooks Online Advanced is the most powerful QuickBooks Online solution tool that helps you work smarter and grow your mid-size business faster. Designed to give you deeper insights, deliver more intuitive reports and enable higher productivity, you can also do your business your way by connecting 600+ third party apps to QuickBooks.
With its expansive range of familiar and additional new features, QuickBooks Online Advanced provides full visibility of every project, helping you increase profitability.
For deeper insights into your business, an organized hub for everything, and a streamlined workflow to complete tasks that matter faster, QuickBooks Online is the system that fits the size of your business now and in the future.
Here are some blogs and product pages to get started with on your review process. If you are unsure of which path to go, feel free to give us a call or schedule a consultation. We are here to help!
Assess your infrastructure for QuickBooks software
I can not stress the importance of assessing your current Windows servers, computers, operating systems, hardware, and other essential software like Microsoft Office, Adobe, and Internet Explorer so that you can get ahead of the curveball if you need to invest in new systems and update other essential business software. I would also like to note that I have noticed that computers and hardware could be delayed with the Supply Chain issues of certain components.
Ideally, you are working with your IT whether you have someone on staff or outsource. It’s a great idea to get them involved as they are your expert in that area. If you do need to update hardware and other software, this will have to be completed and coordinated before installing QuickBooks Desktop 2023. Head over to this QuickBooks support article to learn more about the system requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
Meet with your team & gain feedback
When assessing your current software and systems, this is an excellent opportunity to meet with your staff and discuss how the solution is working for your business. I suggest making it a fun activity and hold a breakfast, brunch, or lunch team meeting. Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:
- Tell me what works well.
- Where can we improve?
- What are the bottlenecks?
- Do we need to add users to QuickBooks?
- What are our business goals?
After the meeting, take a look at all the comments, suggestions, and prioritize those needs and wants. By doing this type of activity, you are going to gain insightful information from those who are working in the software, handling day-to-day tasks like creating estimates, processing orders, paying bills, entering expenses, and so much more! This is VALUABLE information because you will gain employee insight on how your business is running throughout the day.
Consult with us
Still not sure what direction to go? Schedule a consultation with us! We can help guide you through the selection process. Have your feedback list ready and share what your pain points are. We want to know what your goals are, what you need, and what you want!
Check out our blog: How Ability Business can help you
Decide on your path
Now that you have completed your homework, met with your team, put together your list, and consulted with us; you should be ready to make your decision, purchase, and start planning your upgrade to QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Plus or transitioning to QuickBooks Online.
If you are staying with QuickBooks Desktop, our team can place the order for you. Schedule a call.
If you are transitioning to QuickBooks Online, place your order here and save 30% off for 12 months.
If you already have a subscription plan for QuickBooks Enterprise, QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, or QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus, make sure that you are on the latest version & update.
Put the plan into motion
Upgrading to QuickBooks Desktop 2023, what’s next:
- Make sure all parties are on the same page and have their calendars marked.
- Managers, staff, IT, your QuickBooks Solution Provider, ProAdvisor, Accountant
- On the server, make a backup of your QuickBooks file and save it to a thumb drive/hard drive.
- Update servers & computers or install new ones.
- Install QuickBooks 2023 on the server first and upgrade your QuickBooks database file.
- Install software on workstations.
- Be sure to open QuickBooks on each computer and select the correct path over the network.
- Review
- Run and compare Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet reports
- Check connected services and add-ons: QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time.
- Check other 3rd party apps/integrations.
- Learn & train about the new features
- Implement new features
- Get back to business!
Check out this support blog for more information on upgrading QuickBooks software.
Transitioning to QuickBooks Online what’s next:
- Prepare & Learn (more homework)
- Involve your accountant
- Getting Started
- Watch the video
- Learn about transitioning
- Reach out to QuickBooks Online Support
- Plan your timeline
- Determine who will do what
- Compare reports
- Train the staff
- Scale your business!
Summary
As May 31st, 2023 approaches and the QuickBooks Desktop 2020 discontinuation of support and services nears, I encourage you to be proactive and plan ahead for your upgrade or transition. I hope you found this blog resourceful and beneficial for your business needs.
All the best,
Lisa
